The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-02-01
Fifteen Cars Scattered in Splint,
ers for q Mile In all d.
- rectiOns.
Windows and Plate Glass Fronts
Suffer Total Demolition
in all Directions. 80
The Terrified Inhabitants Rush
.-.t Wildly From Their
.l. Houses I'm Alarm.

EOIt OcObl, Jhu. ID. lsopcCAet.l NJ e
O'Clock this morning . terrible accident &C.
CURED half mile west OF. this city BY
which which Scott Hooker, of Sedalis, was
almost instantly killed, and eRgineer ]. r
Dillon, fireman S. Shit fferd and conductor
Elliott, Of freight train No. q, south
bound over the Missouri Pacific road were
severely shocked. The particulars of the
sad affair as near as could be learned are
as follows .. H
Freight train No q had pulled out OIL
her destination and when half mile w6st
of this place suddenly, and without
warning, there vas terrific explosion in 8
magazine car about midway of the train
which scattered in splinters fifteen Of the
tw.niy-three cars comprising the train and
b. ly wrecked the engine, which came to..a
81 d EN- standstill. AT the time of the ac-
cident the engineer and fremen were
seated in the engine, and beside the engi-
neer sat Scott Hooker, as the sound of the
explosion died away Dir. Hooker rose from
his seat and said
81 FEEL VERY BAD"
and going back laid down on the coal in
the tender. The blood rushed from his
ears and nose, and In a
few minutes he died. The engineer and
fireman though badly shocked by the con-
cussion soon rallied and went to his assist
ance but could do nothing for him. Con-
ductor Elliott and the rear brakeman were
in the caboose at the time and were much
stunned but not seriously hurt and were
soon able to get out. An examination re-
vealed hole in the ground where the
magazine car had stood at the time of the
explosion from which the ties, rails and
earth had been driven with force that
shattered everything, even the rails, into
while the journals OF the car
wheels and the weeels themselves for sew
eral car lengths either side seemed to have
been ground into powder or snapped like
pipe stems For three quarters Of mile
lie every direction the debris of the wreck
was scattered over the ground and fields
and for radius OF neary i've miles.
D.. WINDOWS WERE SMASHED, 4 l
doors blown in and buildings wrecked
or shaken to degree caused
the sleeping inmates to rush
from their dwellings in wild alarm under
the impression that terrific earthquake
was in progress In Fort Scott il is esti-
mated that the loss in plate glass windows,
etc, will reach fully SIC, 900 and the shock
is said to have been felt plainly at Nevada
and Schell City and for forty miles in all I
directions. The cause of the explosion is
said TO have been the 'igniting in some
unknown manner of 200 cases of giant pow
der in transit in magazine car. How it
occurred will never be known but the re-
suit is admitted on all sides TO have been
the most terrific explosion ever recorded
Had il have occurred half an
hour earlier while the train was at the
depot standing beside the passenger train
it is impossible to estimate the terrible
results and loss of life must have followed
-. -. SCOTT HOOKER. ..s
The young man referred to In the above
telegram, is the son-in-law of Newt. Doug
las, the well-known Sedalis horseman, and
leaves wife and child residing in this
city. The terrible news has overwhelmed
the young wife and her family with grief,
but Mrs. Hooker rallied sufficiently to. go
to Windsor last evening, where Mr.. Hook
er's relatives reside, and where the funeral
viii take place to-day, the body
having been ) brought to that
place last night. The railroad
have kindly placed special at
the service of the family and friends of
the decease which will go to Windsor today
and all persons desiring TO attend the fur
neral will be taken there and back free
Of charge. .....F -...-. H.r
- 70 ANOTHER ACCOUNT. Fi-
The associated press last night sent out
the following report Of the terrible disas-
Ter '.., ..{ .t .......r.- /
About two-hundred cases OF giant pow
der exploded while in transit over the
Missouri Pacific road, hall mile west of
this city at O'Clock last night.
1t was being transported in
I magazine car. The train consisted of
twenty freight cars, and fifteen of
hem were completely demolished, and the
car was blown to atoms. The
engine was badly broken up but not blown
off the track. Scott Hooker, brakeman,
Who leaves wife and child at Sedalia,
vas instantly killed. A great. hole was
blown in the road bed and the rails and
les ground to powder for several rods dis
ant. The engineer and . fireman,
badly frightened and st1n-
ned, were not seriously hurt
Their names we're j. k. Dillon and s..
conductor, Elliott and the rear
who were in the csboose, were
uninjured The shock from the explosion
was simply terrific. Ten thousand dollars
worth of plate glass and window glass was
broken throughout the central and western
part of the city. Many thought IL an
andlleft their beds and ran
from their houses panic stricken. The re-
port comes here to-day that several win